Monday, February 4, 2013

Scrapkit Studio: The Good Life Mini Album

Hola blog friends! I'm so excited to share a mini album project with you today. I've been lucky enough to play again with one of Scrapkit Studio's mini-album kits. If you're not familiar with Scrapkit Studio, I highly recommend taking a peek at what they have to offer. Melinda, the owner, does an amazing job designing mini-album kits, complete with supplies and detailed instructions. Because her kits and instructions are so comprehensive, they are completely do-able by a beginner, and because they are so filled with the latest and greatest product, they are also perfect for experienced papercrafters who want the convenience and ease of a kit, with room for putting their own spin on the album.

The kit I worked with this time is called The Good Life, and it is filled with cheerful and fun goodies from the The Good Life collection by Fancy Pants. I filled my album with an assortment of general, everyday family photos from last year. As I was looking through my 2012 family photos, I noticed something interesting -- my 12-year-old son seems to show up only for sports and cake. I would complain, except that I myself didn't seem to show up on the other side of the camera at all! So, go figure, our 2012 family memories do not include mom. I hereby vow to be more intentional about a) taking more photos of my oldest son and b) getting myself out from behind the camera and in the photos more often.

Shall we take an album tour?

For the cover, I took my lead from the title page provided in the instructions, changed the background paper, and added a few twists. The title is built with a pre-made, layered "The Good Life" sticker, topped with the word "loving," a chipboard heart accent, and two layered fishtail pennants. Behind it, I made a simple accordion-fold rosette. I then added a subtitle, "fun family memories 2012," using various stickers.

On the left page, I was faced with a mommy dilemma ... I had no photo with all five of us and really no suitable photo of the other four even. But how could I favor one child over another here on the opening page? I couldn't. So I created a little tri-fold attachment, which gave me enough room to include a photo of each child doing his or her happy "thing." The labels "play," "create," and "have fun" are done with letter stickers from the kit. I love the black polka dot envelope on the right - a perfect place to include extra photos and any memorabilia. Here's a look at the tri-fold open:

This next part is best viewed as a two-page spread:

The title begins on the left with "life is a journey" and continues on the right with "enjoy the ride." The photo of my youngest riding his bike was perfect for the bicycle sticker border along the bottom. Everything but the doily is included in the kit.

On the left page, I used a pre-made, layered bicycle sticker in the bottom left corner. Following Melinda's example, I made a darling little flag with a tiny stick/dowel and a pennant sticker. The "life is good" word sticker is one of many on the included sticker sheet. And the chipboard star-shaped button is one of many buttons in the kit. The right side is a pocket page, which comes already die-cut and ready to just fold up, adhere, and embellish with a simple sticker strip and two buttons.

Inside the pocket is a 4x4 chipboard coaster. I covered it with paper, then added my photo and embellished with a tab top and some word stickers.

On the back side of the pocket page, I added a large photo and a quick embellishment cluster made of a leaf sticker and two stacked chipboard buttons. On the right side is a shaped chipboard page. I covered it in blue crackle-looking paper (already die-cut to match the chipboard), then added a pocket and a corresponding tag (both already die-cut for you). On the tag is a photo of my daughter zip-lining at a friend's house.

On the back of the shaped page is a photo of my boys on my youngest son's birthday (note the presence of cake, and therefore elusive, pre-teen oldest son as well <grin>):

The title, "good times," was done with a combination of a tab sticker, a word sticker, four pennant stickers, and the circular letter stickers.

I love having little odd-size bits within a mini-album. One of the Fancy Pants patterns had a bunch of awesome cut-out components, including this "The Good Life" element. It was too wide to add to one of the album pages as a horizontal element, so I just punched two holes and added it vertically as its own mini-page of sorts.

On the back, I filled the space with overflow from the right-hand photograph and a portion of a long sentiment strip. (Pardon the photo print quality - the printer was running out of ink.) The right page is the back side of another pocket page. I love the "so grateful" flair in the upper right!

For the pocket page, I added a folded over doily (from my stash, not in the kit), a layered kit sticker, and a pull-out tabbed insert. On the right is a photo of my youngest son's preschool graduation last May and some sentiment stickers. Here's a look at the pull-out ... top photo is of younger son, airborne, about to belly flop on older son, bottom photo is of younger son and daughter playing a game of concentration.

Here, I've featured a photo of my husband and daughter, along with sentiment flags and stickers. To help the sentiment flags pop against the colorful background pattern, I added a red cardstock die-cut tabbed tag from my stash and topped it with a kit button. On the right ... another envelope page topped with a layered flower sticker. Basic Grey magnetic closures hold these envelope flaps closed, by the way.

Another easy spread: large photos, border stickers, button embellishments, and some word stickers.

On the back, I cut out "the good life" medallion from one of the Fancy Pants patterns and accented with tab stickers and a chipboard button.

Hope you've enjoyed my mini album tour. Head over the Scrapkit Studio if you're interested in having one of these, or a different style mini-album, for yourself!

This is fabulous, Amy! Once again, you've hit it out of the park! I love your family pics - especially the kindergarten graduation and the one of your daughter and youngest son on the couch reading a book. Thanks so much for working with one of my kits again!Melinda from scrapkit studio

This is fabulous, Amy! Once again, you've hit it out of the park! I love your family pics - especially the kindergarten graduation and the one of your daughter and youngest son on the couch reading a book. Thanks so much for working with one of my kits again!Melinda from scrapkit studio

Simply fabulous, Amy!! So many amazing goodies on each page! I hear you re: mom not being in the picture much - guilty as charged here too! Heck, just glad I have at least one picture of me pregnant with each kid - not that they are particularly flattering when you look like a beached whale mind you LOL! Hugs to you!!

Beautiful mini, Amy! Your kit is loaded with embellies and I love the creative ways you use them. I was particularly inspired by your use (ala Melinda) of the flag and stick dowel behind the bicycle sticker. I started breaking up some old kits in my craft room this week and putting the separate elements away...e.g Bazzill card stock filed with my other Baziill that is already organized by color, patterned papers sorted and filed by manufacturer, twine in my twine jar, brads in my brad container, etc. But I have quite a few embellies that don't otherwise have a home in my craft room, so I have a small plastic basket for those bits and bobs. One of the items I tossed in the basket yesterday is a tiny stick/dowel! Time to use it :)